Giving You My Heart
by Lift the Wings
Summary: Mackenzie finds her long lost brother in Forks; the only problem is, he's different. Way different. She meets his new family and feels inexplicably drawn to a quiet, Southern vampire. Can he stop his desire for her blood though? Jasper/OC, Alice/OC
1. Forks, Here I Come

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight!_ But if I did, darn it I would be in HEAVEN!! :D

Author's Note: So, this chapter is dedicated to **-my-forgotten-rose-**, because she's the one who made me decide to get off of my lazy butt and make a Jasper story!! We both decided he was dreamy in my _Dr. Cullen, the Love of My Life_ story, so here we go!! :D

Chapter One: Forks, Here I Come

Would you believe it? I certainly shouldn't be able to believe it, but what do you know? I finally found him; after years of looking for him, thousands of dollars taken out in loans for cars, hotels, plane tickets (the list goes on, trust me), nearly breaking off all contact with my parents because they didn't believe me…

I found him. In the sleepy little town of Forks, Washington, at that! Now who is _he_, you may be wondering? Or even who am _I_ for that matter?

For the past three years, I - twenty year old Mackenzie Rose - have been looking for my older brother, Taylor Rose after he went missing from our home in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Taylor, who my parents figured just ran away from home, wanting to break all contact with us, was now working at the University of Washington, to which - coincidentally enough, of course - I was now transferring to. Small world, huh?

The reason I went in search of my brother was, well, I _saw_ what happened to him. That night, out in the fields, he was protecting _me_ from what I'm almost certain was a vampire. I stayed with him for three days - the enormous search parties that went out to find us were hard to hide from, especially when he started screaming - but I knew that if anyone found out what was happening to him, they would find a way to kill him. And I would rather have my brother alive… or as alive as he could be, as the case was, than dead.

But on the third day, I went back to take care of him, only to find that he had disappeared. I was heart broken, of course, fearing the worst had happened. The only comfort I found was a letter he had written to me, in the same sloppy handwriting as always.

_Kenzie, _

_Please, whatever you do, don't come looking for me. I'm all right, and I will be, thanks to you. Thank you for everything you did for me, sis. I'll never forget you. Ever. _

_Love, Taylor_

And, of course, the minute I saw '_don't_ come looking', I immediately planned out my search. Well, it was hard, but I finally tracked my clever brother down. I only wondered how, if he really was a vampire, he was teaching at a university full of students…

My suitcases were littered about the ground around me, creating a protective circle around my feet that if anyone tried to cross, they would probably break their neck. I was waiting for my dad's good friend and his son to pick me up at the airport, tapping my foot and listening to _Roll with the Changes _by REO Speedwagon. I tried not sing aloud, but hey, that's what happens when I listen to a good song.

Anyway, it didn't take long for someone to try and break through my barrier of luggage; that person being Mike Newton. I laughed and hugged him, shoving my MP3 player in my bag and looking up at the younger boy.

"Jeez, Mike, look at you!" I cried, having to crane my neck up to look at him. He was about six foot two now, his bright blue eyes sparkling amazingly and his blond hair spiked up cutely. I'm sure the girls all swooned over him. "You're humongous!"

He shrugged slightly and smiled, "Thanks, Kenzie. Look at you," he joked, grinning, "still as short as ever. You know, I think MiracleGro works on people…" He jerked away as I slapped the back of his head.

"Thanks, Mike," I rolled my chestnut eyes, though I certainly wasn't upset with him, "you're _so_ funny. Do you think you could help me with my bags without tripping over them?" He laughed and grabbed a few suitcases, as did my dad's friend, Rick.

"Hey, Rick, thanks for letting me stay here," I smiled up at him. He looked like an older version of Mike, with the same pale blond hair and pale blue eyes. They were both heartbreakers. I always said they could be Malfoys if _Harry Potter_ needed a few more. Too bad they were too nice for that.

"No problem, Kenzie," Rick grinned, heading out to the family van, "we're happy to have you. Remember, if you need anything while you stay with us, just ask. Mikey will help you with whatever you need."

Mike rolled his eyes at the nickname, but nodded assuredly, grinning at me. I smiled, touched at the offer, knowing that they really didn't have to give me a place to stay but they were kind enough to. I'm sure, though, that they would be sending weekly reports to my parents. Joy.

"Thanks," I smiled gratefully, climbing into the back seat of their van as we headed to their, well _our_ now, home.

Finding out that Taylor was possibly in Forks - after some sharp detective work by yours truly, now, I had transferred out of my original college - Penn State University - and headed up here to UW. Now that I was here, I could double major in my two favorite subjects; Anthropology and History. And, cheaper than staying on campus and paying for board _and _food, Rick and Tina said that I could live with them at no charge. How lucky was that?

It wasn't the beginning of the semester at UW, so I would now have to wait around to start attending. I hated loafing around and doing nothing when I could be doing so much. One of my many faults, I guess, is that I'm terribly impatient. I can't wait for anything and if I have to, it better be the most amazing thing around. The only thing was, when I start next semester, I'm enrolled in one of Taylor's classes! How exciting is that?

"Mackenzie!" Tina squealed as I exited the van, hugging me tightly, "how have you been, dear? How are your parents? Are you excited for the new school year?"

"Great, I'm not sure, and yes," I answered with a laugh, brushing my shoulder-length, layered, chestnut colored hair out of my face, "thanks for letting me stay, Tina."

"The pleasure's all ours, you know that, hun," she smiled, helping us with the bags, "your room is right across from Mikey's, all right?"

As I unpacked some of my things, I couldn't help but feel incredibly nervous at the prospect of seeing who I thought was my vampiric brother in a matter of days, since I was taking a trip up to the college to check it out. What would he think when he saw me? Would he be surprised? Sad? Or would he actually be happy that I cared enough to come find him? What would _I _think when I saw _him_? He would probably look identical to the last time I saw him; not aged the three years it had been. Would he have crimson eyes like the one that had attacked him?

Would he want to kill me?

Shaking off my morbid thoughts and seeing as it was Wednesday, I figured I would drop Mike off at school - yeah, I'm the super cool older friend with a car (I needed one in all of my travels looking for Taylor) - and check out the town.

So Mikey and I headed into town almost as soon as I finished unpacking, blasting the radio as loud as we possibly could, singing along to every song we knew. I laughed; Mike was always a good time. He almost reminded me of an excitable puppy, always bouncing around, wanting to go on some sort of adventure. It was a good thing I didn't tell him why I had come to Forks in the first place… he would be up in a millisecond, ready to help me. I couldn't let him get so close to a risky situation like that…

When I pulled up to Forks High School to drop Mikey off, I noticed a group of people not too far off, away from everyone else. There were three guys and three girls, all but one with incredibly angelic features. They looked like what attacked Taylor…

I almost hit another car in the process of watching them, my eyes wide with surprise. _Vampires!_ I thought, shocked. The one, the rusty-haired boy looked over at me, a look of shock on his face. The others all looked at me and I felt almost light-headed.

_He's already closer to a risky situation than I thought he would be…_, I thought, shaking my head disbelievingly.

I watched Mike wave one of the girls - the one I was sure was human - over to him and the rest of his friends after he waved good-bye to me. I didn't move my eyes from the others, though. The one with rust-colored hair was quickly conferring with the others, a huge, muscular one, a tall blonde girl, a small pixie-like one, and a tall, lean blond boy. But, they didn't look like regular teens; they looked much older, and yet, not older at all, like they didn't belong there. They looked perfect in every way and I tried to avoid looking at blond boy in particular.

_Oh God, what have these students gotten into?_ I thought, before jumping in realization, _maybe they know Taylor!_ At this, the rust-colored one - I decided to christen him "Rusty" for the moment - looked up at me again, his brow furrowed in confusion this time. Suddenly, they were all looking at me, surprised and concerned.

They knew what I was thinking.

Without even looking, I pulled my orange - yes, orange - mini Cooper (convertible of course) out into traffic, speeding away from the high school.

A loop of panicked cuss words coursed through my head as I sped through town. How on Earth was this possible? Just my luck to encounter mind reading vampires! But obviously, they weren't a danger to everyone around them. If they were… well, the students would be incredibly stupid. They seemed to just ignore the presence of the five vampires.

So, if they didn't fear them, or in fact even _know _they were vampires, how did said vampires survive? I mean, they had to drink blood, right? That was how they survived. But in a tiny, quiet town like this one, surely people would be coming up missing constantly…

I had so many questions flowing through my mind that I had didn't even realize that I was speeding. It was only when I heard the sirens behind me that I was brought out of my musings and pulled over. The police officer approached me and inquired, "Do you have any idea how fast you were going?"

"Not really," I sighed, "I'm sorry; I had a lot on my mind…"

He just chuckled, observed my brightly colored car, and shrugged, "Just make sure it doesn't happen again, all right? I'm Chief Swan by the way. I'm guessing you're Mackenzie Rose?"

I nodded, surprised at how he knew me, but he answered quickly, "Small town, Miss Rose. Have a nice day…" He headed back to his vehicle and drove off.

_Yeah, a small town with a _lot_ of secrets_, I thought to myself, shaking my head slightly. I sighed and headed toward the nearest shopping center. I wondered vaguely if I would see those vampires when I went to pick Mikey up in the afternoon. And what would I say to them?

_**Well, there ya go! Please let me know if you like it! :D**_


	2. Suspicious Minds

A/N: I'm soo sorry it took so long to update! I've been uber busy! It sucks not to sit down and write, because I've had so many ideas for this story! Hopefully updates will be quicker though!

_Disclaimer: I do not own Twilight, but if I did, I'd be rich and in love with one or more of the Cullen men XD!!_

Chapter Two: Suspicious Minds

Yeah, a small town with a _lot_ of secrets, _I thought to myself, shaking my head slightly. I sighed and headed toward the nearest shopping center. I wondered vaguely if I would see those vampires when I went to pick up Mikey in the afternoon. And what would I say to them?_

Well, after my little trip to the shopping center, I headed back toward the high school. I nervously gripped the steering wheel of Fabio - my Mini Coop's name, of course - as I pulled up in front of the school. I looked around for Mike, but I didn't see him anywhere.

"Shoot," I mumbled, glancing around for any sign of the vampires. If they weren't dangerous, as I was beginning to think they weren't, I thought about seriously going up to them and asking them about Taylor. But then, would I seriously risk sounding like an idiot if they _weren't_?

Well, there was no time to think about it, seeing as, the minute I looked up from my MP3 player, I notice five vampires nearby, along with the same girl that I had seen with them earlier in the day.

Rusty looked down at her with, unbelievable as it sounded to me, love in his eyes. Um, hello? Did he realize that she was a human and he wasn't? That was a little more extreme than Romeo and Juliet.

The girl rolled her eyes but made her way for Fabio. Resolutely, I stepped out of the car and smiled politely, "Can I help you?"

"Yeah," she said, sounded rather uneasy, casting a glance back at Rusty, who nodded, "can I talk to you for a second? I'm Bella Swan, by the way." She stuck out her hand and I accepted, shaking it and replying, "I'm Mackenzie Rose. Nice to meet you, Bella."

She nodded, before saying, "Um, this is going to sound weird, but… do you think anything's… _off_ about them?" She gestured back to the group, causing me to suddenly notice that the blond boy was missing, when he had been there only a few seconds ago. I looked around quickly, wondering if maybe he was coming to ambush me, but I was wrong.

"Beside the fact that they're vampires, you mean?" I inquired, raising my eyebrows, "nothing really." We shared a slight laugh, before she turned and nodded to them.

One of the vampires, the short one with the pixie haircut came hopping up to Bella and I, stating brightly, "Don't worry, Jasper had to leave for a moment, but he isn't going to attack you." For some reason, even she didn't sound too sure of herself, "I'm Alice, by the way. Alice… Cullen."

I nodded, replying cautiously, ready to gauge her reaction, "I'm Mackenzie Rose." I was startled, to say the least, when she squealed and started jumping around, waving for the others to come. The blonde girl said something to Rusty before leaving in a huff, followed by the burly one, who just sent me an eye roll.

So Rusty came and stood beside Bella, smiling politely down at me, sending Alice an inquisitive look, "What is it, Alice?"

"It's her, Edward!" she cried happily, hugging him impulsively, "Taylor's sister!" The three of them turned to me, raising their eyebrows at my incredulous look. I shook my head, blinking twice, "You know Taylor?" I couldn't help the quake in my voice as I stated this; after all of this searching, I finally found out someone who knew something about my brother.

"Taylor Rose joined our… '_family'_… not too long ago," Edward (obviously not Rusty, then) stated, his honey-colored eyes meeting mine as he offered me his hand, "of course, he talks about you all the time, Mackenzie, really he does. I'm Edward Cullen."

"Really?" I inquired, relief filling me now that I knew where Taylor was and the fact that he hadn't been alone or mistreated during the time since I last saw him. And, if I could assume correctly, these vampires were comfortable enough with humans and blood that they weren't too dangerous to anyone.

As if reading my mind - I was almost certain he could, Edward stated, "We've taught Taylor our diet… animals and animals only. He's perfectly harmless, just like the rest of us." I blinked a few times, adjusting to all of the information.

I had been right all along. My brother was alive… well, sort of… just like I had known all along, and he wasn't a mindless killer. I mean, sure, picturing him taking down animals and sucking their blood was a disturbing image, but much less than picturing him hunting down and sucking the blood of humans.

Edward looked over to the right, as did Alice. Bella and I followed their gaze and saw the blond boy standing at the forest's edge. It was the first time that I had the opportunity to look at him. I found myself fighting to turn away, but couldn't. He, on the other hand, avoided my gaze at all costs.

He was tall, and lean, reminding me instantly of a panther. His hair was on the wild side, shaggy and dirty blond. His features were extremely handsome and chiseled and I fought the notion that I was immediately attracted to him. I mean, obviously that was part of a vampire's skill and trickery, right? I assumed under his light blue, button-up shirt, he had an extremely built body. _Why did I even think of that…? _I shook my head, distracted. His eyes were wide as he avoided mine, though, unlike Edward's and Alice's honey colored eyes, his were a deep, startling onyx. He was thirsty. This must've been Jasper.

Edward cast him an almost alarmed look, before smoothing out his features and smiling at me, "Nice to meet you, Mackenzie." He then jogged over to the other vampire, gripping his arm tightly and leading him a little deeper into the woods.

I watched this all curiously, wondering what that was all about. I mean, why did he have to wait for Edward to come, why couldn't he just go hunting on his own? Unless they were actually planning something…

"Uh, why don't you stop by our house a little later?" Alice smiled, staring off after Jasper and Edward with a glazed look in her eyes before turning back to me, "Taylor will be there and you can join us in celebrating Bella's birthday, okay?"

I fought the urge to wrinkle my nose at the thought. Everything I had ever read about vampires - which was an insanely large amount - told me they were dangerous, violent, and cunning; it would be the perfect ploy to just off me, inviting me to their house with no witnesses. Then again, Bella was with them (for a while it seemed too) and she was perfectly fine. And I _really _wanted to see Taylor.

That overwhelming urge was enough to finally force me to nod, my eyes flickering over to where Jasper and Edward had gone, before I looked back at Bella and Alice, "All right. I'll tell Mikey and his parents I'm going shopping… that way they won't know I'm visiting a house full of vampires."

We all shared a strained laugh, before I turned to the school, where multitudes of children were racing out, eager to head home. Mike headed over to me, grinning at Bella, "Hey, what's up? I see you've met my friend Mackenzie?"

Alice and Bella nodded and smiled, before waving good-bye to us and leaving. I really wanted to see Jasper again, before cursing to myself in my head. I would _not_ think that way about a vampire. _Ever_. The only vampire I would even consider caring about was Taylor.

"_Please_ tell me you didn't say anything to them about me drooling when I sleep," Mike begged as we headed over to Fabio, "I mean, I would have to hate you then and I'd rather not."

"No, I didn't say anything about you drooling," I laughed lightly, climbing into the car, "though, it was kind of obvious you were about to, seeing you with Bella back there. It looked like she was with Edward Cullen, though." I shot him an look and noticed he was frowning.

"Yeah," he replied, folding his arms across his chest, "they've been together for months. Stupid jerk. I hate how every one of Dr. Cullen's kids is absolutely perfect. Emmett Cullen, Edward Cullen, Rosalie Hale, Jasper Hale, Alice Rose… it's ridiculous."

"So Jasper and Rosalie _are _brother and…," I froze, rounding on Mike and almost going up over the curb, "did you say Alice _Rose_?" My hands were clenched tightly to the steering wheel and I forced myself to look back at the road. _Damn, running over a vampire won't do a thing to them, _I thought bitterly.

"Yeah," Mike answered, "she's married, weird as that sounds, seeing as she's still in high school and all. Her husband… well, he's got the same name as… your brother did…," he finished off lamely, staring at his hands, knowing how painfully I took Taylor's 'death'.

_Taylor doesn't tell me he's __**alive**_**, **_let alone married,_ I breathed deeply in anger, my mind unconsciously leaving the mental image I had had of Jasper Hale for the last ten minutes and turning into a full on rant against Taylor and Alice Rose, _when I'm through with them, they're sooo going to wish they were able to die._

JASPERJASPERJASPERJASPER

Mike eyed me dubiously as I stood before my mirror, throwing my now curled hair into a loose ponytail at the base of my neck. I straightened my tight, deep red top and gave him a patented 'what?' look. That look usually scared people. Mike was no exception.

"Why are you getting all dressed up?" Mike inquired, taking a step or two backwards, "you don't know anyone in town, do you?" He sat atop my vanity, tossing a football from hand to hand.

"I'm, I'm meeting with my advisor up at Washington State tonight," I answered deftly, smoothing out my skirt, "his name's Eric Taylor, we're having coffee and discussing academic things; why I switched schools, my majors, that kind of thing. Are we done with the twenty questions, Mikey?"

He chuckled and hopped off of the vanity as I stepped back, holding out my arms, inquiring, "How do I look?"

"Great," he answered with a smile, giving me a hug, "I'll catch you later, 'kay? I'm meeting up with a couple guys to play catch." I nodded, giving him a cheesy smile, before he turned and left.

Edward had called me later on - I honestly don't know how he got my cell phone number, by the way, since I wasn't even thinking about it - giving me directions to their house. That's where I was headed then. I needed to see Taylor and part of me, God only knows why, wanted to see Jasper as well, even though I hadn't talked to him at all.

I waved good-bye to Rick and Tina, heading out to Fabio and out of the city limits. I was nervous, I can't deny it. I mean, wouldn't you be? Not only was I meeting up with my vampire brother after several years of isolation, _and _I was heading to a house with at least six vampires in it. Even if one was my brother, I couldn't just trust that he wouldn't get an urge to kill me. I'm sure it was in all of them, at all times even.

Taking a deep breath, I pulled up to the Cullens' amazing, two story house tucked deeply into the thick, damp forest. I hugged my jacket closely to myself, climbing out of the car (safety) and approaching the front door (certain doom, if you ask me). I hesitantly knocked on the door.

After a split second's silence, the door swung open and I was face to face with a smaller woman (though she was taller than me by a few inches) with curly auburn hair. She smiled warmly and hugged me, "It's so nice to finally meet you, Mackenzie. I'm Esme Cullen, the children's 'mother'. Come in, come in."

Bewildered, I was ushered into one of the coziest, welcoming homes I had been in. I looked around in awe at all of the artifacts and the historian/anthropologist in me just wanted to run up to them and study them. However, I remained calm and followed Esme into the living room, answering her polite questions as calmly as possible. My insides were a mess, my heart racing at the thought of finally seeing Taylor and possibly talking to Jasper Hale.

A tall, lean blond man approached Esme and I, wrapping his arm around her waist and sticking his hand out to me, a handsome grin on his face. I was taken aback at how handsome he was - though, I had to admit, Jasper had him beat. "Hello, Mackenzie," he stated, "I'm Carlisle Cullen. Welcome to my home."

"Thank you," I answered, smiling slightly, "it's a beautiful house. I'm sorry, this is probably awkward with me here and all…"

"Nonsense," Carlisle chuckled, "we're happy to have you."

"I'm surprised Taylor didn't answer the door," Esme laughed, "you're all he's been talking about for the last three years, but today, well today it was nonstop."

All of the sudden, a blurred figure fell from the floor above us, landing gracefully beside Carlisle. If that didn't scare me enough as it was, I felt lightheaded as he straightened, grinning that old, familiarly foreign smirk I had seen for seventeen years of my life.

"Kenzie!" Taylor grinned down at me, looking exceedingly handsome and yet, still the same old Taylor I had always known. He lifted me up off of my feet, hugging me tightly. I hugged him back, tears welling up in my eyes and, even though he now had bright golden eyes and extremely pale and icy skin, he was my Taylor.

_**Well, I hope you enjoyed the chappie! I'm sorry it took so long to update! It (hopefully) won't happen again! **_

_**Annabellelee13194: **__Thanks! She didn't look because she kind of knew she would like him if she did. Idk if that makes sense lol; __**Sadie: **__Thanks!! I'm glad you likey lol! I hoped it would be a neat intro. Thanks again!; __**peaceless: **__Thank ya! I'm glad you like it so far! Hopefully it will be good!; __**Leahwannabe479:**__ Haha yeah! I would be too, though, considering the situation lol! I'm glad you like it!; __**coolppl13: **__Thanks so much!; __**iforgiveyou: **__Haha thank you so much! I'm so happy that you like my stories! I really appreciate you reading them all! Thanks so much!: __**-my-forgotten-rose-:**__ :D I'm glad you like it! And if it weren't for you I probably wouldn't have posted a Jasper story!; __**Superdani akaVioletFairchild: **__Haha thanks so much! I'm so happy you're enjoying it so far!!; __**The Wicked Pirate Wench: **__Haha yeppers! And boy is she going to tear into them for not telling her lol! I'm glad you love it!; __**twilightfan818: **__Thanks so much! I really appreciate it and I'm glad you're enjoying it!; __**Katherine Sparrow: **__Thanks! I'm glad you liked it!; __**JrAoCbKiN: **__Thanks so much!!; __**American History Lover2009: **__Thanks! I'm so glad you're interested in the story!; __**Cetacean:**__ Thanks. I took your comments into consideration. You're right, it's a bit unbelievable and I hope it seems a little better this time. But thanks again!; __**NranianBlob:**__ Thanks so much! I'm glad you like it so far and I hope it does end up being a good one!_


	3. Reunited and Jasper Hale

Sorry I haven't updated in so long! I've had barely any time to do anything, let alone write stories! Which is super sucky! Anywho… let us continue!

Disclaimer: I do not own _Twilight_, because if I did, I'd be a happy, happy girl!

Chapter Three: Reunited and Jasper Hale

"_Kenzie!" Taylor grinned down at me, looking exceedingly handsome and yet, still the same old Taylor I had always known. He lifted me up off of my feet, hugging me tightly. I hugged him back, tears welling up in my eyes and, even though he now had bright, golden eyes and extremely pale and icy skin, he was my Taylor._

When he set me down, I refused to let go of him completely. My face was in pain from the enormous smile on my face, but I couldn't help letting the tears fall. I had been waiting for this moment for the last three years and finally, _finally_, it was coming true.

Taylor had the same expression on his face, aside from the tears pouring from his eyes. That was strictly me. Brows furrowed, I wondered why he wasn't quite as emotional as I was.

"We can't cry," Alice hopped down the stairs, smiling brightly, over to us. She hugged me quickly, before settling beside Taylor, wrapping her arm around his waist. At this gesture, my eyes narrowed considerably, focusing on the lack of space between them.

"Kenzie, I would have…," I cut Taylor off with a swift look, an eyebrow raised in irritation as I focused on the two of them.

"We'll talk about that later," I stated as Alice stepped aside to let me hug my brother again, "don't think either of you are off the hook."

The room was filled with quiet laughter, but I ignored them, whispering in Taylor's ear, "I missed you." I swallowed a second wave of tears as they approached. Truer words had never been spoken and I was still trying to come to grips with the fact that my 'dead' brother was holding me closely.

"I missed you too, Kenzie," he answered quietly, kissing the top of my head with his cool, icy lips.

I cleared my throat and sniffed slightly, well aware of the audience we had. I forced a smile at the others and, betrayers that they were, my eyes strayed around the room in search for the wild blond hair of Jasper Hale.

I didn't see him in the immediate vicinity, only Carlisle and Esme, Taylor and Alice, and two others I had yet to meet. Taylor seemed to notice this, because he wrapped his arm around my waist, running a hand through his untidy, dark chocolate hair in the painfully familiar way in which he used to; "Everyone, this is my little sister Mackenzie. Kenzie; you met Carlisle, Esme, and Alice; but this is Emmett and Rosalie." He gestured to the massive, dark haired man on the other side of the room and the woman he had his arm draped around.

Emmett grinned at me, waving slightly, "Hey, Mac. Do you care if I call you Mac?"

I smiled slightly, feeling strangely at ease with the one who had to be the strongest, largest vampire I'd come across yet, "No, go ahead."

He grinned again and shoved Rosalie slightly, causing the blonde's scowl to darken. She gave me more of a grimace than anything else, before turning back to Emmett and resting against him.

"So, um… where're Edward and Bella?" I inquired, my eyes torn between flicking over to my long-lost brother and searching the area for Jasper. I shook my head mentally, berating myself for looking for a dangerous killer.

_Repeat after me, Kenz,_ I thought heatedly to myself, _do _not_ look for Jasper Hale. You have no idea what you're getting yourself into if you do._

Of course, there was a part of me that replied – rather fervently at that, _**You have every idea of what you're getting yourself into… and maybe it isn't so bad… you could stay with Taylor, after all…**_

I would have missed Carlisle talking, if his smooth lilting tone wouldn't have drawn me out of my stupor, "They'll be here in about an hour. We wanted you to come a little early so you could reunite with Taylor. I think it would be best for both of you."

_Or… they just want to feed on you_, I thought before I could help myself. I felt myself being shoved, much in the way one shoves another when they've said something stupid. But I wasn't within touching distance of anyone other than Taylor – we had moved to the couch – and there was no reason for him to shove me. In fact, I hadn't even seen him move and I was staring at him like there was no tomorrow.

He gave me a pointed look and I felt the shove again. Eyes widening, I turned to him fully, "Are you doing that with your mind?!"

He grinned, amused, and it felt as though I was being slapped lightly in the back of the head for stupidity. I shoved him in anger, only to pull my hand back and cradle it to my chest. I should have figured he would be solid as a rock.

I looked at Carlisle, my eyes watering in pain, as he and the others laughed. From seeing Alice's and Edward's powers, I should have assumed that Taylor would have one as well. I vaguely wondered what the others' were, but I wasn't going to get overly friendly with them just yet. I still had to test out the waters.

JASPERJASPERJASPERJASPER

There was a bit of awkward, yet amiable conversation as I sat beside my brother, leaning against him. It was slightly uncomfortable, but hell, I wasn't going to complain about that little fact when I had my big brother back.

We caught up while we waited for Edward and the birthday girl. Taylor told me all about what had happened after he had been turned; where he had gone and how he found the Cullens.

Apparently, after the attack, he fled the immediate area. He refused to let his new affliction massacre his family. It had taken quite a bit of strength to drag him away from us, especially when he could see how much we all, me in particular, were struggling.

But when he left, he fled to the farthest possible place he could in a hurry – he headed to Alaska; a place with a lot of cloud cover and short days. It was perfect for him and he figured that, instead of hunting the few humans that lived in the area, he could survive off of the enormous creatures that lived there.

When Alice found him, he was in the middle of an attack, feeding on a large caribou he had just killed. He was afraid that he would have to kill her if she was mortal, but she quickly revealed to him that she was just like him. They almost immediately fell in love with each other – Carlisle explained that to me with the concept of 'singers', which was slightly disconcerting to fall instantly in love with someone that you'd never even met before, but you were then destined to be together forever. It was rather romantic, once the creepiness of being drawn by the other's blood and smell was overlooked. After that, Alice brought him to Forks, where the Cullens immediately accepted him.

I was glad to know that Taylor wasn't alone for too long. I almost felt giddy as that weight was lifted off of me, though I refused to let my guard down _too_ much. Taylor draped his arm over my shoulder and inquired, grinning, "So what about you? What did you do in the three years since I've been gone?"

I raised an eyebrow and heaved a heavy sigh, debating on whether or not to explain exactly what I had done. Resolved, I looked steadily at the vampires before me, "I studied your kind. Actually, I obsessed over it. I wanted to find out what you were like, if I would ever be able to find you, Taylor. I looked… anywhere and everywhere… hoping I could find you and help you." I shrugged slightly, "I guess it finally paid off, right? That's why I transferred up here. Of course, I couldn't tell Mikey or anyone about why I was coming; they'd never believe me."

Taylor kissed my forehead again and stated contentedly, "Well I'm glad you're here."

"We're _all_ glad you're here, Mackenzie," Carlisle grinned and I couldn't help but smile in return.

"Did you go south?"

Startled, I looked up at the top landing of the staircase, searching for the owner of the deep, smooth, Southern accent. I was surprised to find Jasper there, staring down at me intently, with bright, sorrowful golden eyes.

My throat seemed to close up on me and I bit my lip, noting how much more attractive he was with the golden eyes. Blinking slightly, I remembered that all attention was on me and I needed to answer his question. Looking down at my hands to avoid his piercing gaze, I stated, "Yeah, actually, I did. I went as far as the Rio Grande. Some tip I found on Google… didn't work out very well, though."

"What was it like?" Jasper inquired, his eyes sparkling with excitement, "how did everything look? Was…"

"Jasper, here, is from Texas, Mackenzie," Esme smiled, looking between Jasper and I with an odd twinkle in her eyes, "he's always talking about going back some day."

"Really?" I inquired, forcing myself to find the topic less interesting, seeing as I was alarming intrigued by seemingly anything that came out of the handsome Southerner's mouth… in fact, his mouth was rather intriguing…

I grimaced to myself, forcing the thoughts out of my head. I noticed him smirk and, when I should have been panicking and feeling embarrassed, I felt oddly calm. I blinked at the sudden shift in emotions and stood. This was getting a little overwhelming here and I needed some time to clear my head.

"I need to go outside for a bit," I stated quickly, avoiding looking at the stairs all together, giving Taylor one of our pointed looks that we shared – this one said _let me be alone for a little bit; I'll be back inside before Edward and Bella get here._

He nodded fractionally and I smiled slightly at the others, before quickly escaping through the back door. I took a deep breath of the cool, fall air, allowing my thoughts to form some sort of pattern in my head. I needed to think straight, without the heavy influence of Jasper Hale's consuming gaze.

Okay: Taylor was alive and well (and married); I would never be apart from him again (that was a promise to myself I would do anything to keep); I would have to accept the Cullens as a sort of surrogate family if I wanted to keep in close contact with Taylor; that was going to be tough with the addition of Jasper, who seemed to be sucking me into some sort of obsessive fascination already with him; and if I didn't learn what powers and things those vampires had, I would have to say something to Taylor. I mean, someone in there switched up my emotions, which I for one really disliked.

I barely heard the door open behind me and I intended to just ignore it, but the husky Southern drawl certainly put me on alert. I jumped away from the house's wall I had been leaning on and turned fully to face Jasper.

"I'm glad you've calmed down," he stated, his hands folded behind his back neatly, though he was standing a good distance from me and his muscles were visibly taut, "I like seeing you relaxed… or, as relaxed as you can be."

I eyed him curiously and not a little bit cautiously, tilting my head to the side, "Was it you that was… playing… with my emotions in there?"

His sheepish smile caused me to bite back a groan and resist the urge to bury my face in my hands. I didn't need the one person that was causing my tumultuous emotions to be the one who was able to sense them…

He must have _felt_ my embarrassment because he quickly stepped forward, reaching his hand out to touch my arm. He stopped himself and returned to his tense position near a large fir tree, leaning stiffly against its trunk. He regarded me intensely again, before stating, "I'm sorry; I can't help it. When I walk into a room I feel every emotion from every person. You were the only one who would possibly be nervous about being there."

I felt myself relax against the side of the house again as my eyes ran over his lithe form, "That must be awful. You can still feel your own emotions, right? Do they ever get… _muddled_… from everyone else's?"

He regarded me, perplexed, and I assumed he could feel the intrigue pooling from me again. I cursed my reaction to him – it was such an intense desire to know about him, to see him, and I couldn't understand where it was coming from.

"No; my feelings are my own," he answered quietly, so quiet in fact, that I had to walk a little closer to him to hear. He tensed again and I halted in my steps. He gave me an almost apologetic look before continuing, "It's like Edward's gift, but with emotions. He can hear every thought – except for Bella's – but he still controls his own thoughts. I do the same, but with emotions."

I nodded slightly. I was unsure why I was so intrigued by Jasper Hale, but also so confused as to why he was supplying the information. It was almost as though he were just as intrigued with me as I was with him. But that was ridiculous… and I needed to stop getting caught up in his looks and features. It would only turn up badly for everyone.

He looked upset at something and I bit my lip worriedly. I bet I was really throwing him for a loop. Nervous, angry, attracted (to him no less), embarrassed, calm, tense, intrigued, worried… he had to be getting a headache.

"Are you okay?" I inquired cautiously, "do you… want me to leave?"

He looked at me, remaining silent for a few moments' hesitation. He cocked his head to the side, his gaze soft and intense at the same time, "I'd prefer if you didn't."

My heart skipped a beat at the comment and he stiffened again. Oh. Great. I guess with his heightened senses he could hear my heartbeat? Just another thing I would have to worry about until I got this little infatuation taken care of.

It wasn't my fault that he could say something like that in such an earnest yet completely sensual way and my heart's natural response was to race like that. I knew then that Jasper Hale would be the death of me and that thought terrified me more than any other.

I swallowed my fear, an insane urge coming over to keep his feelings from being hurt, hoping to calm my racing pulse. I nodded as an afterthought to his comment slowly moved closer to the tree. Not altogether irrationally, the image of a tiny gazelle moving closer and closer toward a motionless but prepared lion leapt into my mind. Glad that Jasper couldn't read my thoughts like Edward could, I continued approaching, watching his movements just as carefully as he watched mine.

I was next to him now, the rational part of my mind long silenced by the irrational one that obviously wanted to be near him and, in addition, danger. I slowly leaned against the tree beside him, extremely aware of the fact that, aside from his eyes – which followed me unblinkingly, he hadn't moved a muscle.

I looked up into his handsome, defined face, before looking out into the darkness, scanning the trees and sky. I felt his eyes on me for some time after that – particularly on my flushed, heated face – before he finally mimicked my actions and stared out into the darkness with me.

_**Okie doke! I hope you all enjoyed! Please review! I love them!**_

_**-my-forgotten-rose-: **__Thanks! I'm so glad you liked it!; __**American History Lover 2009: **__Thanks so much! I'm sorry the update wasn't quicker; __**Leahwannabe479: **__Haha yeah, I figured since I took Jasper from Alice I should give her someone back. I'm really glad you like it!; __**twilightfan818: **__Thanks so much! I'm sorry this update took so long too! Forgive mee!!; __**conformityissuicide: **__Thanks so much! I'm glad you liked it and I'm really sorry about the lateness of the update!; __**Katherine Sparrow: **__Thanks so much!; __**NarnianBlob:**__ Thanks so much! I'm glad you liked it!; __**Elfin69: **__Haha I didn't have her yell at him yet but she definitely will in the next chapter! I hope you liked Jasper's reaction to her; __**Bmangaka: **__haha I'm so glad you liked it!; __**Superdani aka VioletFairchild: **__Thanks so much! I'm glad she found him too!; __**Hakujou Enputi-shigai: **__Haha I'm so glad you like it! Jasper needed a fic!; __**The Wicked Pirate Wench: **__Thanks so much!; __**VanillaStar: **__I'm sorry I haven't updated quickly!!; __**redquicksilver: **__Haha that's so funny! I'm so glad you like my stories (and the men in them ;]) and thank you so much for the compliment!! I hope you like this chappie! Oh, I was thinking of another story… X-Men if I get around to it so I hope you like Wolverine if you've watched the movies lol!; __**mistressofdarkness666: **__Thank you so much! I'm so glad you liked it!; __**CullensvsBlack120: **__Thanks so much! I really appreciate the compliment, it means so much! I'm glad you like my stories and I promise I'll update the Dark Knight and Twilight ones!; __**Bridget: **__Thanks so much!!_


	4. Out In the Moonlight

Wow, I'm sorry it's been so long. If you guys don't want to read this anymore, I understand! It's been forever!

Disclaimer: I do not own _Twilight_ but if I did, ooh boy that'd be fun!

Chapter Four: Out in the Moonlight

_I looked up into his handsome, defined face, before looking out into the darkness, scanning the trees and sky. I felt his eyes on me for some time after that - particularly on my flushed, heated face - before he finally mimicked my actions and stared out into the darkness with me. _

"I don't know what I'm supposed to say, Jasper," I stated quietly after a few minutes of motionless silence, "I never really expected to talk to a vampire, aside from Taylor. What should I talk to you about?" Even though the quiet around us had been still and comfortable, I felt the urge to talk. I wanted to know about him but I didn't know how to go about asking him.

"Well, you could ask me any kind of question, darlin'," he replied, causing my heart to give an extremely large leap upward. Darlin'. It was a pet name; Southerners always called people 'darlin'' and yet… I fought the goosebumps rising on my arms as he continued to speak, "what would you ask a normal person?"

The way he said it made me bite my lip, guilt drawing my eyes down to my shoes. A normal person. I had pointed out to him that I didn't consider him normal (for all intents and purposes, he _wasn't_, but I didn't have to rub it in his face). What would I ask anyone I was meeting for the first time?

"When were you born?" I inquired. So it's not a normal question I would ask someone, but age would eventually have come around in the conversation so why not this one? I mean, plus it would be cool to know how long he had been alive for.

"A long time ago," he answered, the corner of his mouth turning upward in an uncertain grin. He cast his golden eyes in my direction and I was thankful for the darkness; maybe he wouldn't be able to see the red in my face from his gaze.

"Okay… exactly _how long_ ago is long ago?" I inquired, sending him a small smile, "I'm not a mind reader like Edward…"

He laughed, a slightly husky, thoroughly intoxicating sound, and looked down at his shoes, eyebrows raised high, "True. All right, then, why don't you guess?"

"Guessing games," I took a deep breath, releasing it and watching it materialize and swirl around me, "well, you _look_ like you're twenty or twenty one… but I'm guessing you probably weren't… _turned_ anytime soon. You seem too… gentlemanly for that."

He just turned his head slightly, cocking it, moving his body fractionally to face me. Intrigue was easily visible in his eyes, the emotion glinting in the moonlight for me to see. When he didn't reply, I figured I was right.

But, even though I knew how old he was physically told me nothing of how long he had been alive. I mean, Dracula, Nosferatu, how old were they supposed to be?

"Okay, early 1900s," I blurted randomly. Maybe I was in the ballpark. I mean, at that time people still hadn't lost their manners. _When _did_ people start losing their manners? _Curious question.

"Not quite," he answered with a grin, folding his arms across his chest and relaxing a bit. I was surprised; though he had loosened up a little when I first got out here, he seemed to becoming more comfortable with me. As my breathing hitched at the thought, I wondered if that was a good thing or not.

"Earlier?" I questioned, surprise probably very evident on my face. At his nod, I pursed my lips, biting my lower lip, "okay… 1860s… Civil War era…"

Amusement played across his handsome, ghostly pale face but he shook his head slightly. His wild hair fell into his face and I had the insane urge to brush it back, away from those beautiful eyes. His smile fell and I cursed myself; he could feel that emotion as clearly as he felt his own. I would have to become more guarded and keep my feelings to myself if I didn't want him to realize how quickly I was becoming attracted to him.

"Earlier?" I let out a shocked laugh, but then again, I shouldn't have been surprised. Antebellum Southerner he was, then. The way his mannerisms seemed to be, well, that kind of spoke volumes. I should have guessed that first, "Er… 18... 1830s?"

"1843," he replied, a satisfactory grin on his face as my jaw dropped, "those were good guesses, seein' as you had from the present to the beginning of time to choose from…"

"1843...," I breathed, my legs threatening to give out beneath me. I turned to face him fully, awe written across my features, "you're one hundred… and forty six years older than me…"

He nodded, strange yet alluring eyes moving slowly over my face. His hands slid away from their folded position over his chest and buried themselves firmly in his pockets. His shoulders were taut, muscles tensed, and I wondered if he was always this rigid around people.

"How do you do it?" I questioned, shaking my head, a frown tugging at my lips, "you've been alive for so long… how can you stand it?"

"It's not as hard as you'd think," Jasper answered with a shrug. I noticed that he hadn't called me 'darlin'' since that first time; maybe he feared my reaction to it. "I have my family inside to keep me company… I read, learn new things…"

But everyone inside seemed to be together. Up until recently, it seemed, it had been he and Edward as the bachelors of the house. Everyone else had someone to be with, except him. Even Taylor, who was a very new vampire, had someone to be with him. But here was Jasper, all alone for over one hundred fifty years… it didn't seem fair to me.

"Doesn't it get lonely?" I questioned, my words hesitant and my voice timid. I didn't want to push him into talking about something he wasn't comfortable with, but I just couldn't understand how it would be to be alive for so long and be lonely.

"Well, it does," he admitted, shifting away from the tree so he could sit at its base, knees drawn up to his chest and arms draped loosely across his knees. He glanced up at me, raising a singular eyebrow as if to invite me to join him. I sat beside him in the damp grass, ignoring the fact that it could ruin my dress.

"Then again, we have to keep waiting," he continued, staring out into the darkness, seeing the night's activities that I, with my weak, human eyes, couldn't, "there's what Carlisle calls a singer for everyone. A mate, so to speak. I didn't really believe him, 'til Edward showed up with Bella. Only a strong love could keep him from makin' her like one of us."

"So you're waiting for your singer?" I asked, pulling my legs in under me and resting my head back against the rough bark of the tree, my lids fluttering shut. Despite the cold, I was very comfortable, which sounded absolutely ridiculous. Me? Comfortable? Sitting next to a gorgeous blond vampire who was born in 1843?

It took me a moment to realize that some time had passed and I still hadn't gotten a response from Jasper. Maybe I had hit a sore spot? I mean, going for that long without your mate would hurt anyone's feelings.

Opening my eyes, I glanced to my side, jumping slightly in surprise at how close Jasper was to me now. I hadn't heard him move, but then again, vampires were experts in stealth and silence. He was inches from my side, his gaze not on my face, but decidedly lower. I was going to chastise him for staring at my chest when I realized he wasn't looking there. His eyes were glued to my neck and I felt a startled chill rush over me. The way I was sitting, head tilted back in a low cut dress, it shouldn't have surprised me that my neck was completely exposed, my pulse probably visible in the moonlight.

He was breathing heavily, hands clenched together in his lap, as though keeping himself from grabbing me. How in control of his thirst was he?

"Jasper?" I inquired, keeping my voice steady and willing myself to remain calm. I didn't want him to see how nervous I was, knowing it would only hurt him more. I don't think he would be too happy if he realized how anxious he was making me. Especially when it wasn't in a good way.

He still didn't respond, but leaned in, pressing his frigid, perfectly straight nose against my hair, his jaw brushing against my shoulder. He took a deep breath, his hands still clenched firmly together to keep from touching me, but didn't pull away when he was done inhaling my scent.

I closed my eyes, biting my lip as he inched closer, his chest now touching my arm. He lifted one hand, the muscles in his fingers twitching slightly as he fought to keep from touching me. But his hand followed his face, burrowing into my hair, massaging the tresses between his fingers.

_Holy… oh God, I need to get him to stop; he could… if he bit me…_, I took a deep, shaky breath, my widened eyes following his every move. But the feeling of his nose, his face, in my neck, my hair… I couldn't stop him if I wanted to.

My breathing was getting heavier, my emotions going haywire. I needed to stop if only to keep Jasper's emotions from running amok. The hand that was running through my hair moved down, his strong, cold fingers trailing down my exposed back. His other hand finally moved, slowly making its way to my stomach. I could feel his frigid hand through the thin fabric of my gown, my stomach muscles tightening in response.

Of course, I couldn't bring myself to stop him. I wanted to; I knew that this could easily be some time of trap - vampires used their sexual allure to trick their victims time and time again. And yet, he hadn't bit me. I would think, after all this time with him outside that he could bite me the minute we were alone together.

My skin was tingling, trails of goosebumps following Jasper's fingers. He hadn't removed his face from my hair, taking slow, deep breaths as his feather-soft movements continued to draw circles on my back and stomach.

"Jasper," I whispered, leaning back slightly, enough to get his face untangled from my hair. I wanted to see his eyes. Were they black? Did he want to bite me? "Look at me, Jasper. Please."

He pulled away just slightly, turning his face to meet mine. We were inches apart, his nose almost touching mine. I searched his eyes, the starlight revealing the darkness of his onyx orbs. And yet, I felt completely comfortable. Was that him playing with my emotions? Or was I just confident that he wouldn't bite me.

"I'm sorry, darlin'," he stated, his voice husky and sensual, his fingers tightening their grip on my side, "I… it's not usually this strong."

"What's not?" I inquired, my hands itching to grasp the front of his shirt, his hair, anything. He smelled so… fabulous. I couldn't help myself from thinking of what his lips would feel like on mine.

Damn, how did he take control of me so quickly?

"I just… want to…," his jaw clenched as he struggled with his words. I didn't say anything, waiting for him to finish his thought. It probably wouldn't be one I wanted to hear, but I would listen. His nostrils flared and he met my gaze, strong and sorrowful, "bite you."

My heart raced, blood running cold, but I quickly recovered myself, clearing my throat and keeping his gaze. I wouldn't back down, but I certainly wouldn't give him what he wanted.

_**Well, sorry it's taken me so long to update! I didn't mean to, but it just sort of happened! I hope you liked it and want to read some more!**_

_**CatieLardin: **__Thank you so much! Well, I haven't quite decided yet. I was going to have it happen right now, but I think I might actually just change things around a bit… maybe make Edward a bit less… stupid in New Moon lol; __**-my-forgotten-rose-: **__Haha thank you! I'm sorry I stopped writing this for a while! I hope you liked this chapter!; __**The Wicked Pirate Wench: **__Thanks so much!; __**Leahwannabe479: **__haha thanks! I hope you didn't get caught!; __**American History Lover2009: **__Thanks so much! I'm so sorry, did I ever check out your story? I would hate me if I were you!; __**mistressofdarkness666: **__Haha well there's plenty more sexual tension in this one lol; __**Irishwolf07: **__thanks! Yeah, I love Jasper! I'm sorry it took forever to update!; __**wrestlenascargirl: **__Thanks! Yeah, I thought it would be nice to finally find him!; __**red quicksilver: **__Oh my God I know right? I hope you enjoyed this chappie with his amazingness! ;) I'm sorry it took forever to update. And the Wolverine one will be updated! And then I want to write a Joker/OC one too… jeez, I've got so much to do lol!; __**twilightfan818: **__Thanks so much! =); __**Superdani akaViolet Fairchild: **__Thanks! Yeah, he'll be a sweetie. I hope you like this chapter!; __**shorty: **__hope you liked it!; __**klutzygal12: **__Haha me too!; __**DarkTsuki0: **__Thanks so much! I hope you still want to read it after such a long hiatus!; __**Shaunna: **__Thanks so much!; __**-Moon'sRain-: **__Aw thanks! Yeah, I love that name so I thought it would work nicely!; __**Blood and Fangs 27: **__Thanks so much! I hope you enjoy this one too =)_


	5. News

Hey everyone! I'm so sorry I haven't updated in a while! I've been super busy with work and writing my own novels. Speaking of, I need to do a little self-promotion! I have written and published an ebook on Kindle called Running. It's a paranormal romance set in Gettysburg, PA. The main character is a medium on the run from killers who she helped put behind bars. If you like my style and want to help support a fledgling author, please check out Amazon and search for the author Cara McKay and the title "Running". It will soon be available for Nooks and other e-readers. Please check it out and let me know how you like it! I'll put the URL on my homepage for those who want it =D

And hopefully I can update this soon!

Thanks a bunch!

~Lift the Wings


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